It’s been about a month since our first virtual Annual Meeting, and the details are still running through my mind — listening to roosters crow while Kellam gave his live update from the field, zooming in on special artifacts in the lab with Ben, and visiting with Tyson and Becky on the patio while they explained their projects. It was definitely a new experience talking to all of you without seeing your faces or answering questions in person.
My hope for the meeting was that you would experience a bit of what it feels like to be at Crow Canyon right now — to sense the strangeness of doing our work without students and participants beside us, to learn about the innovations we’ve pursued, to hear the laughter and lightheartedness that provide balance to our work during a time of uncertainty. From the feedback we’ve received, I am thrilled that our attendees felt connected to our staff and to our landscape.
With the Annual Meeting behind us, our staff members are closing down outdoor projects and preparing for winter work. I’d like to share a few take-away messages from the Annual Meeting:
2020 has been a year marked by financial strength, protecting assets that will sustain us into the future, and expanding our mission to have a broader impact in the world.
When the pandemic affected our original plans for the year, we challenged ourselves to discover how our particular talents and resources could be useful to the world and our stakeholders in this moment.
We’ve been able to advance our mission in ways that make positive contributions to society with archaeological research, experiential education, and American Indian knowledge with digital resources for learning and teaching about our shared human history, such as Discover Archaeology, a weekly webinar series that reached more than 3,000 new participants.
Our ability to study and teach about the ancient people of the Mesa Verde region is a privilege and a gift from ancestral Pueblo communities, their vibrant descendant communities, and Native American people throughout the Greater Southwest. Our work during the pandemic has highlighted the importance of reciprocity in our partnerships.
Liz Perry
Crow Canyon is a forever organization, and we believe that our mission is literally timeless. We have been studying human resilience and ingenuity and adapting our work to the changing world for 37 years, and we are still going strong. As we adapt, we rely heavily on the generosity and philanthropy of our supporters to maintain our strength and ability to do this work. We run on love, commitment, and gratitude. Thank you for being a part of our family!
If you would like to watch or re-watch the Annual Meeting, the link is here.
Warmly,
Liz
President & CEO
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center